Well-drilling apparatus.



A. RUNNION.

WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Auc.n, I916.

Patented July 31, 1917.

33 INVENTOR Alanzojizuuuong BY I" ATTORNEY UNITED srans a union- ALONZORUNNION, 0F SPENCER, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 LEWIS. S.GOFF, OF SPENCER, WEST VIRGINIA.

WELL-DRILLING AEPARATU'S.

Application filed August 17, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo RUNNION, a citizen of the United States,residing at Spencer, in the county of Roane and State of West Virginia,have invented a new and useful Well-Drilling Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in drilling wells,and has for an object to provide a jack for attachment to a welldrilling apparatus, to permit the use of a high speed engine, such as aninternal combustion engine, in drilling wells.

The above object is accomplished, in the present invention, by theprovision of a drive part or member, connected to and continuouslydriven by the hi h speed engine, a driven part or member which isconnected to the usual walking beam employed for supporting the welldrilling tools, and a loose connection between the two parts or membersfor actuating the driven part by the driving part to lift the welldrilling tools, and to permit the racing of the driven part'to drop orjar the tools in the holefor drilling the well. The loose connection according to this invention, is adjustable for regulating the length ofthe stroke of the tools, and is also yieldable to absorb shock incidentto the taking up of the driven part by the drive part, and also byrthechecking of the movement of the driven part at the end of the stroke.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with thefurther understanding that while the drawing shows a practical form of.the invention, the latter is not confined to strict conformity with vthe showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long assuch changes and modifications'come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

In the drawing I Figure 1 is a side elevation of a well drillingapparatus having the improved ack applied thereto, the walking beambeing in the position it assumes when the tools are lowered in the well.

Fig. 2 is a detail enlarged section, taken Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

Serial No. 115,465.

' jack, showing the connecting rod attached thereto, and in positionimmediately prior to the jarring of the tools.

I Fig. 5 is a transverse section, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a suitable base provided with apost 11, on which is mounted a walking beam 12, adapt ed to be connectedat one end to the usual well drilling tools, not shown, by means of alink 18, and having a connecting rod 14 on its opposite end.

The base 10 has a power shaft 15 suitably mounted thereon, which isadapted to be turned by any suitable source of power, such as a highspeed engine, particularly of the internal combustion type. The shaft 15carries a pulley 16 over which passes a belt 17, the latter engagingover a balancewheel 18. upon a shaft 19, adapted to be continuouslyturned with the balance-wheel.

The present invention relates particularly to an improved jack or devicefor connecting the shaft 19 to the rod 14:. VA driven member 20 ismounted loosely on the shaft 19, and is in the form of a disk having ahub portion on the shaft 19, and a laterally extending peripheral flangeimparting to the driven member a cup shape. The inner wall of the memberis provided with a diametrically extending enlargement 21, which is ofconsiderable width. Studs 22 project .from the face of the enlargement21 adjacent to the opposite ends of the latter, and are diametricallyopposed. An arm 23 is pivoted on each stud 22. Each arm comprises arelatively fiat arcuate member in face engagement with the enlargement21, and having This balance-wheel 18 is fixed.

its outer edge of substantially the same curopposed inner straightcontacting edges 29 of the arms 23, the latter being spaced apart adistance usually greater than the'minor axis of the diamond-shaped camhead, and always less than the major axis of the cam head.

Secured in the rim of the driven member, at diametrically opposedpoints, and extending radially from the member 20, are tubular casingsor housings 30, in the inner ends of which are slid-ably mounted pins orplungers 31, bearing against the outer edges of the arms 23 to urge,them inwardly toward the cam head. Tension springs 32 are arranged inthe casings 30, as shown in'Fig. 2, and are adjustably pressed againstthe plungers 31 by screw plugs 83, which are threaded into the outerends of the casings 30.

The cover plate 28 is held in place by screws or bolts 34, which passthrough the plate 28 and into the enlargement 21'between the ends of thearms 23, so as not to interfere with the action of the arms.

The plate 28 is utilized for attaching the free end of the connectingrod 1% to the driven member 20. A wrist pin 35 is adjustably secured inany one of a number of openings 36 formed in the plate 28 at differentradial distances from the shaft 19, and receives the free end of theconnecting rod 14.

In operation, the continuously rotating shaft 19 turns the cam head 2ain the direction indicatedjby the arrows in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and in oneposition brings the contacting faces 27 against the arms 23, as shown inFig. 3. The spring pressed plungers 31 yield slightly to this contact,and the arms then serve as a means for connecting the drive and drivenmembers. The cam head 2 now carries the driven part 20 from the positionshown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. a, drawing the connectingrod 1% down and thus lifting the drilling tool. When the connecting rodl i passes beyond the lower dead center, as shown in Fig. l, the weightof the well drilling tool quickly rocks the walking beam 12 and liftsthe connecting rod independently of the drive member. The driven member20 now speeds ahead of the drive member Qt, and is checked only when thearms 23 reach and come into contact with the faces26 of the drivemember, as shown in Fig. 2.

By adjusting the screw plugs 33 the arms 23 may be advanced to thedesired extent against the cam head 2% to vary the phase of the lostmotion between the drive and the shaft, and after the tool is liftedinto its highest position the tool is released and permitted to drop bygravity into the well. The tool rests in the bottom of the well untilthe shaft turns sufiiciently to again take up the tool.

That is claimed is.

1. In well drilling apparatus, a rotatable drive member, a driven memberadapted for connection with well drilling tools, adjustable contactelements between the drive and driven members for interlocking themembers for rotation as a unit subsequent to the turning of the membersrelatively to each other, and adjusting means for the contact elementsadapted to change the position of the same to vary the range of themovement between the members.

2. In well drilling apparatus, a'rotatable drive member having opposedcontact faces, a driven member surrounding the drive member and adaptedfor connection with well drilling tools, and adjustable contact elementson said driven member for alternate engagement with said opposed contactfaces to turn the driven member a predetermined distance and raise saidwell drilling tools, and provide a lost motion between the drive anddriven members and permit the tools to drop in the well. 7

8. In well drilling apparatus, including a walking beam having aconnecting rod at one a rotatable drive member having opposed contactfaces, a driven member concentric with the drive'member and adapted foreecentric connection with said connecting rod, and a lost motionconnection between said members, said connection being adjustable tovary the range of the lost motion'and being resilient to absorb shockincident to the taking up of the connection between the members. A

4. In well drilling apparatus, a rotatable drive member having opposedcontact faces in its periphery, a driven member mounted for freerotation concentricallv about said drive member, adjustable connectingelements carried by the driven member, and means for holding saidconnecting elements at various distances from said contact faces to varythe limit of the free strokeof the member and lying at the oppositesides of said drive member, and means for advancing and retracting thefree ends of said arms toward and from said drive member to vary thedistance between the same and the arms.

6. In well drilling apparatus, a rotatable drive member, a driven memberconcentric with the drive member, a connecting element adjustablymounted on the driven member for engagement with the drive memher, andadjustable means on the driven member engaging the connecting element toyieldingly hold it at various distances from the drive member and adjustthe length of the free stroke of the driven member.

7. In well drilling apparatus, a rotatable cam head having opposed lobesand having opposed pairs of contact faces at the opposite sides of thelobes, a driven member mounted for rotation about the cam head, and apair of opposed arms hinged at one end to the driven member and havinginner contact faces adapted for alternate engagement with the opposedpairs of said contact faces of the cam head to connect the drive anddriven members, and provide los't motion therebetween upon the travel ofsaid arms from one pair of said contact faces of the cam head to theother pair thereof.

8. In well drilling apparatus, a rotatable cam head having opposed lobesand having opposed pairs of contact faces at the opposite sides of thelobes, a driven member mounted for rotation about the cam head, a pairof arms hinged at one end to the driven member and having inner contactfaces for alternate engagement with the opposed pairs of the cam headfaces to connect the drive and driven members and provide lost motiontherebetween upon the travel of said arms from one pair of the cam headfaces to the opposite pair thereof, plungers slidably mounted upon thedriven member opposite the free ends of said arms, springs mounted onthe driven member and engaging the plungers to yieldingly press thelatter against the arms, and adjusting means engaging the springs tovary the tension thereof and adjust the arms toward and from the camhead.

9. In well drilling apparatus, a hollow driven member, a cam headmounted for rotationin the driven member, a pair of arms hinged at oneend in the opposite sides of said driven member, said cam head havingpairs of opposed and alternately arranged contact faces lying at obtuseangles to each other, said faces being adapted for alternate contactwith said arms to connect the cam head to the driven member and providelost motion therebetween, and means for adjusting said arms at variousdistances from said cam head to vary the range of the lost motion.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoalfixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ALONZO RUNNION.

Witnesses CYRUs BOGEL, J Aims HERRMAN.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

